My Blue Sky
by missultrablue
Summary: Being in love with your best friend sucks. The last thing Kairi wants is for her friendship with Sora to end because he doesn't feel the same way about her. How can she let him know how she feels without making a fool out herself? She'll need all the help she can get, but sometimes she's not too sure what side her friends are on. SOKAI-AU
1. Summer

**A/N: Hey everyone! This is only my second project, so any feedback would be greatly appreciated! Enjoy!**

My Blue Sky

"College, is like, a giant version of high school...with better selection in the vending machines," a boy with spiky honey brown hair said with a smile, as he turned to his friends placing hands at the back of his head, and falling back on to the warm sand at the beach. "Nothing to worry about."

It was quiet, except for the sound of the waves rolling gently on to the shore. On either side of the brown-haired boy, was a girl with fiery auburn hair, and another boy with shiny silver hair. They both followed suit and laid back on the sand, staring up at the sky.

"Do you think we'll all get into the same school? What if out of all the schools we applied to out there, we weren't meant to be at this one?" The silver haired boy said, his aquamarine eyes closed and he sighed heavily.

"Awww, come on Riku! We're always going to be together, right Kairi?" The brunette boy looked to his left and his sapphire eyes were met with two sparkling amethyst orbs.

Kairi could feel here face heat up as he smiled kindly at her. He was so close, and she could felt as if the butterflies in her stomach were about to go to war. She could smell the sun block lotion on his lightly tanned skin. She loved it. He was so fit, energetic, and downright gorgeous. He stood about a foot shorter than Riku, but still taller than her, and had a very lean, muscular build. It seemed like he was always smiling, and if he wasn't, he had a serene look on his face. His perplexed look though, was her favorite, and she'd always burst into a fit of giggles when he was confused. Even though she was just one of his best friends, he was her knight in shining armor. She felt happy inside when she thought of him, or said his name. Sora.

"Uh...earth to Kairi? Hello...?" She blinked and then realized Sora was still staring at her.

"W..what? Sorry! I was just..." She sat up and stared out at the waves.

"...spacing out? Haha, it's cool. It's so nice out today," Sora said, closing his eyes.

"It's nice out every day..." Riku chuckled.

"Yeah I know! I was just saying..."

"Stating the obvious...well, I'm going to head home and check on my applications. You two lazy bums can chill here and "space out". " He met Kairi's gaze, and she puffed her cheeks at him. He knew she liked Sora, and he always made fun of her for it. Sora opened his eyes and but missed the exchange between the two.

"Okay, if you want to ditch us, that's waaay lame, but okay. How about we get some ice cream tomorrow?" He tossed a hopeful glance at Riku.

"Whatever you want, Sora. See you both." Riku waved his up and he walked away from them.

Sora sat up, and moved closer to Kairi. He now sat in front of her, blocking her view of the ocean. His legs were crossed, and he had a grim look on his face.

"So, Kairi..." he trailed off.

"So...what, Sora?" She loved being with him, especially alone, but she usually got nervous. She could usually hide it, but she felt like such an idiot sometimes. He leaned closer to her, and she fought off the  
urge to move back.

"You and I have something important to discuss." He was sounding pretty cryptic now, and Kairi was afraid of what would come next.

"We do?" was all she could reply.

"Yes."

"...and that would be...?"

He leaned in closer, and their faces were almost touching.

"Sora.." she breathed, her heart pounding so loud, she was thankful the waves were there to cover for her.

"Kairi..."

"What should we do tomorrow?" he said, and burst out laughing.

"...what...?"

"You should've seen your face! You looked at me like I was going to turn into a monster or something!"

Her face was red now, she knew. She also knew that Sora, was an idiot.

* * *

"I don't see what is seriously so funny about what happened this afternoon."

Kairi sighed. She had a frown on her face, and she was lying on her bed, cell phone in hand. She had told Riku about her little scene on the beach with Sora. She had gotten her hopes up, for nothing.

"But Kairi, it IS funny. Did you think that Sora would confess his undying love for you on a whim?" He chuckled again.

She was now blushing over the phone. "No! No, I just...I mean, it felt like he was maybe going to say something but I...I don't know. I suppose I was just imagining it."

"Well there is always next time," Riku stated simply.

"Next time as in...? What do you mean?" He had to be messing with her now.

"Next time, as in tomorrow, perhaps? I'll hang out with Sora in the morning, but by the time you're doing with work in the afternoon, I think I'll just hit the dusty trail and leave you two alone." She could tell he was smiling over the phone.

She was confused now, and before she thought about it, she replied "Work...?"

"You have a half shift at the café tomorrow, remember? You and Sora are so much more alike than you think. You share one brain between the two of you, honestly."

"Oh shut up," she growled.

'Hey, I'm just looking out for you. If I didn't, it'd be like…the blind leading the blind here, you know?"

Kairi wanted to throw out a retort, but couldn't think of anything to say. Instead she just said, "Maybe."

Riku laughed. "Couldn't think of a comeback, could you?"

"I hate you sometimes."

"I doubt that."

Kairi sighed. "So, you're leaving us tomorrow? What am I going to do with him?"

"Well you see, when a man and a woman love each other..." he paused.

"Don't even."

"Haha. Do whatever. Didn't he say something about ice cream? And you never did tell me what he said to you after he asked what you should do tomorrow..."

"Weeell, he didn't actually say. He jumped up and said he'd race me to the paopu tree. He got sidetracked, I guess. Then we walked home..."  
She sighed again.

"Figures. I don't know why I even asked. But definitely make the most of your time with him. I can't do everything for you. You should just tell him how you feel."

"I can't! What if he doesn't feel the same? What if we have to go to different schools? You're his best friend too, you know! He's never hinted about liking me or anything...?"

"We're men. We don't discuss trivial things such as women."

Kairi was about to shout a reply, but Riku quickly added, "Just kidding. But really, we don't talk about that kind of stuff."

"But you COULD ask him what he thinks of me...?" she said in a whiny voice.

"Not a chance. I do enough. I'm not your Cupid."

"No, you're stupid!" she said, trying to supress a giggle. She knew he could still hear it though.

"Whatever you say, Kairi."

They said their goodbyes, and she got ready for bed. She sat at her vanity, brushing her hair with long, even strokes. She didn't know what she'd do without Riku. Sure, he could really suck as a wingman sometimes, but he did go out of his way to give them time alone. Maybe she was dropping the ball on talking to Sora, but she was so afraid of rejection, and so afraid that it would affect their friendship. She was just treading water, waiting to see how things played out. She stared into her own eyes in the mirror and looked over her skin. She was pretty, right? People told her all the time. She couldn't expect Riku and Sora to say it all the time, but they would always compliment her on a new haircut, or at a school dance. She guessed that was enough. She just hoped that Sora didn't see her as one of the boys. He held doors for her, and grabbed her hand when they got in or out of the boats they used to go to their special island. But he did that kind of stuff for everyone. She couldn't get a good read on his feelings about her. They were close, but how close?

Her phone vibrated suddenly. It was a text message. It was around nine o' clock in the evening, and she didn't know who might be texting her. She usually stayed up late, but even though school had ended, she wanted to get some good rest in. She swiped her finger across the screen to reveal the text. It was Sora. Her heart leapt.

_-Hey Riku told me you have work in the morning. Are you still going to meet us later?-_

_-Yeah I will. We can get some sea salt ice cream.-_

_-My FAVORITE! We're on! Meet us at Cid's place after you get off!-_

_-Okay see you Sora-_

_-Night Kai Kai-_

She was exploding with happiness. Only Sora ever called her Kai Kai. She often pondered about whether that meant anything, or not. She wanted to find out, and with college coming up on them like the tides, she needed to get down to business.


	2. Espresso and Daisies

**A/N: How is everyone doing? I've been busy, so sorry if my chapters start out kind of short. Shoot me some feedback and let me know what you think! XOXOXO –Cherrypan**

* * *

**Chapter Two: Espresso and Daisies**

Riku stood leaning against the chain link fence at the skate park, quietly watching Sora do tricks on his skateboard. He wasn't really into skate boarding; he was more of a kingdom sort of guy. Sora played kingdom too, and even Kairi played for fun. He felt like going one-on-one with Sora, but it looked like his friend was having too much fun attempting to be a pro skater. His eyes followed Sora and he watched his friend soar high into the air...and miss the landing on his jump. He crashed to the ground, and laid sprawled out on the concrete. He had protective gear on, so Riku strolled casually to his side.

"Giving up so soon?" he said laughing.

Sora groaned and sat up. "That REALLY REALLY hurt. I don't know Roxas does it. He totally kicks ass, and he yet, prefers to SING. I mean, he's good at it and all, sounds just like Jesse McCartney...it's just...mind boggling. Ooohh, I'm gonna need ice."

Riku helped him up with one hand, and they headed over to grab their stuff. Riku checked his watch.

"Hey, I gotta go soon. I gotta stop somewhere before I head home. You're meeting up with Kairi later, right?"

"Yeah, we're going to get some ice cream, but I don't know what we're doing after that."

Riku laughed again. "How nice," he said sarcastically.

Sora gave Riku a confused look. "What do you mean by that?"

Riku shook his head and shrugged. He threw his bag over his shoulder and began to walk home. He looked back over at Sora, and said with a smile, "Is that all you've got?"

Sora stood bewildered as Riku disappeared from his view.

* * *

You could get free drinks during your shift at Minnie's café. Coffee, tea, smoothies…whatever you want. Too much free caffeine was often the downfall of all the employees that worked there as a result of Minnie's generosity. Today was no exception. Although the lunch rush had ended, Kairi and her close friend Selphie were madly rushing about cleaning and re-stocking the café. Selphie Tilmitt was a cheerful girl with brown hair that fell just short of her shoulders. It flipped up at the ends, which perfectly complimented her bouncy attitude. Her mischievous emerald eyes and pearly white smile made her the queen of the beach beauty scene. Selphie was now wiping down tables like a maniac. She was singing along to "Brokenhearted" by Karmin, which was currently on the café playlist thanks to Kairi. Earlier that day, she'd had her favorite large green tea latte, followed by a spiced paupo latte with two extra shots. She was wired, and even though she'd have a good day, she was bound to crash hard later on.

Kairi now sang along to "Brokenhearted" too, because the last couple of customers had headed out, leaving the two girls alone to sing and dance freely. She was jittery, and just as hyped up as Selphie, however caffeine was not the cause of her high energy. The real culprit was the anticipation of her afternoon with Sora. If she was feeling down, the thought of him would always give her a burst of energy stronger than any shot of espresso. She skipped to the stock room, singing with conviction now

"_See I've been waiting all day, for you to call me baby,_

_So let's get up, let's get on it,_

_Don't you leave me broken hearted tonight_

_Honest baby I'll do, anything you want to,_

_So can we finish what we started_

_Don't you leave me broken hearted tonight."_

She walked back up to the front, finishing the chorus with a stack of cups as her microphone. She stopped in her tracks when she saw that they were no longer alone. Selphie had stopped singing and dancing. Kairi now found herself face to face with Riku.

He set a bouquet of brightly colored gerbera daisies on the counter in front of her, and began clapping softly.

"Wow. Didn't know you could belt it out like that, Kai. You have a cute voice," he said was a smile.

Slightly pink in the cheeks she replied, "Riku! I didn't know you were stopping by! Shoot me a text next time you decide to sneak up on me at work! Wait, what are those for…?" She set her cups down and pointed to the flowers.

"They're for you," he stated matter-of-factly.

"W..why? From who?" She gasped, looking for a card in flowers. There was no card, and no note.

Riku sighed, and leaned over the counter towards her. "They're from me. Just wanted to stop by and remind you that you're beautiful. The daisies are jealous of you. Catch you later." He winked at her, while she gawked at him. He pivoted on his heels and walked nonchalantly out of the café, giving Selphie a slight nod.

Selphie bounded over to Kairi from across the café. "Kairi, explain. What was THAT about?"

Kairi shook her head furiously. "I have noooo idea. That was really weird. He just appeared out of nowhere."

Selphie gestured to the door. "…yeah, and he left just as quickly…Is he into you?"

"No way. We're best friends, and he KNOWS that I like Sora."

"Yeah, well everyone knows that. Well, everyone except Sora. Are you sure he doesn't like you, because this whole situation suggests that he does." Selphie crossed her arms, and gave Kairi a skeptical look.

"No I swear! He doesn't! But you're totally right. I am waaay confused. Riku has never done this kind of thing before."

"He might just like you. Maybe he's finally decided to make a move on you. You never know. Maybe, he thinks he can win you over somehow. I know I would date him." Selphie giggled.

Kairi rolled her eyes. "Sure you would. Riku's got a lot going for him, but Sora is the one that I'm after. I've gotta focus on that. Riku's playing head games with me right now or something, but whatever. I don't want to be late to Cid's. I'll deal with Riku later."

"Hahaha, okay. Get out of here, I'll handle the rest. You're a total heartbreaker, by the way."

Kairi untied her apron and hung it neatly on its hook. She grabbed her bag. "How so?"

"Riku brings you flowers and you shrug it off like nothing. Poor guy," Selphie said, with mock sympathy.

"Wait, what? Don't give me that. You and I both know there's something going on here. Riku doesn't really like me. End of story. I will play love detective when I don't have Sora on my mind."

"Ha! Like there's ever a moment when you don't have Sora on your mind. You're always crazy for him. You're always checking your cell phone every ten seconds to see if he's texted you back or you get all anxious when you know he might be stopping by here. It's adorable." Selphie laid a hand on Kairi's shoulder.

"Wow. I feel kinda pathetic when you say stuff like that. But, you've got me there." She hung her head and sighed.

"But seriously," she continued, "I've gotta go. Will you put those flowers in water for me? I know I owe you big time." She slipped off her black Vans, and pulled out violet colored Converse. She tied the laces of her shoes around her ankles, and checked her face in her pocket mirror. Things were looking pretty okay.

"We've established once before that I own your soul," Selphie replied calmly.

"Uh, right. About that…" Kairi hurried to the door. "I'll cover the next shift you need off, I promise. I'll sign my name in blood and everything…! Have a good night!" She skipped outside, into the sunlight, without waiting for Selphie's reply. It was Sora time.

Selphie stared at the flowers for a moment, then said to herself, "Hmm…I think I'll make myself another latte before someone comes in…whipped cream and caramel this time…"


	3. Golden Afternoon

**A/N: It's been a while since I updated…I've been so busy lately, but I'm going to try and update more often. Read and review? **

**Chapter Three: Golden Afternoon**

The sea was calm. The waves caressed the shore gently, barely making a sound. Kairi was practically skipping down the boardwalk, towards the ice cream parlor where the boy of her dreams would be waiting for her. She had her headphones in her ears, playing Owl City...her latest obsession. It was the perfect music to play on her way to meet Sora. It relaxed her, and the lyrics of the songs always made her think of him. She had a playlist. It was a mix of all the romantic songs that made her think of Sora...so it made her happy. Was that weird? She didn't know. Her life was full of playlists that got her through rough  
times, and made the best times even better. Kairi guessed it was only normal then, to have a playlist for the one you love. It's kind of like sharing a romantic song between two people, except her love was only one-sided so far. She walked past people walking their dogs, mothers chatting side by side with strollers, and people on beach cruisers. She had to stay somewhat alert and she was daydreaming. She definitely didn't want to bump into someone, or get flattened out by bicycles. She was pretty used to walking around playing music so loud, that the rest of the world was quiet. She never did it when she wasn't in a public place though, or at night. After all, she had to be smart about such things, being a girl. She took in deep breaths of salty ocean air. It felt so good to be outside. She always got looks from people when she was out around the island. Part of her wanted to think it was because she was attractive...the other part told her get real. Today she had worn ripped jean shorts with and oversized peach colored tank top with a blue chocobo on it. Her cell phone doubled as music player, and she was wearing chunky mint green headphones. She hoped that the outfit she chose looked okay. After all, it took her forever  
to decide what to wear. What she now wore was outfit trial number six. She knew it was too late to change anything now. She had arrived at Cid's. She pulled the cold handles of the doors open, and stepped inside Rocket Ice.

Cid Highwind, and his wife Shera, owned Rocket Ice. It was the best ice cream shop on the islands. Cid, a.k.a "Captain", used to be a gummi ship pilot back in his prime, but now that he was older, he settled down to run the shop. He had white blonde hair, and blue eyes the shade of an ocean storm. He was a chain smoker, but when he served ice cream, he kept a toothpick in his mouth. Apparently he really loved ice cream, so he and Shera decided to live a simple life serving the best ice cream around. He was a little rough around the edges to say the least, but overall a pretty nice guy. Shera was sweet, and very soft spoken. She handled the phones, and did the bookkeeping.

The shop was small, maybe fit about thirty people max, with a few spots to sit outside. When you walked in, you were greeted with a blast of cool air, which felt amazing during the summer heat. There were only eight tables inside, each representing the planets in the solar system. They were all circular, of course, with hand painted murals of the planets on the surface. They were different sizes, each based on relatively how large the planets were, but most certainly NOT to scale. The walls were a dark grey, almost black, with three dimensional representations of stars, comets, and asteroids. The walls also featured the constellations you could see from earth. The lights were glowing orbs that hung down from the ceiling to represent moons. Outside were exactly five tiny tables to represent the dwarf planets: Pluto, Haumea, Makemake, Ceres, and Eris.

The flavors of Rocket Ice were famous. Cid claimed that he had a handful of friends that he'd traveled the world with that meant everything to him. They'd stuck together through thick and thin. He had made special flavors, just for them. Climhazzard, was the first, and it usually came in a waffle cone. It had a dangerous combination of spicy dark chocolate, honey roasted peanuts, marshmallows, covered with hot fudge in vanilla. Next, was Big Shot. It had butterscotch chips, milk chocolate chunks, brownie bits, and caramel pieces in chocolate ice cream. Final Heaven was a customer favorite, and started with blue bubblegum ice cream as the base. It had rainbow sprinkles, gummi bears, jelly beans, nerds, pop rocks, and skittles mixed in it. Talk about death by sugar. Cosmo Memory was a combination of pineapple chunks, mandarin orange slices, strawberries, and banana slices in raspberry sorbet. Princess Guard was strawberry ice cream with cheesecake bits, strawberries, white chocolate, and bits of waffle cone. Cerberus was a chocolate overload. It had milk chocolate and dark chocolate ice cream, with pieces of chocolate all throughout it. It came with chocolate syrup too. You could order Slots, and Cid would pick all the flavors and toppings for you (not a good idea). Finally, you could build your own with anything they offered and make an All Creation. Of all the elaborate toppings and flavors, there was only one that Kairi and friends ever got. It was a simple mix of salty and sweet. It was a pale blue ice cream bar. Sea salt ice cream.

When she entered Rocket Ice, it was packed full of kids devouring ice cream. She couldn't hear the noise over her headphones until she pulled her headphones off and left them hanging around her neck. She glanced around, looking her favorite head of spiky hair. At first she didn't see him, but then, there he was in the back of the room. He was sitting at their favorite table, Neptune. He didn't see her...his eyes were closed. He was wearing a thin black hoodie red pockets and red lining in the hood. He wore blue denim jeans with a black and white belt. The belt buckle had two crossed keyblades on it. He also wore converse, but his were all black. He had huge black headphones on, and was tuning out all the sound around him, just like she had been. As she approached him, she wondered what he could be listening to. She sat down at the table next to him, and thought about the best way to get his attention without scaring him. She leaned in to tap him on the shoulder, but before she make a move, she found herself staring into a sky of the deepest blue when he suddenly opened his eyes.

She jumped back in surprise, but he just stared at her a moment.

"Thought you could scare me, huh? Nice try, Kairi. You bumped the table when you sat down, and I knew it was you next to me." He flashed a smile at her.

She felt her face get hot but replied unwavering, "Oh yeah? How could you be sure it was me?"

"Easy," He replied quickly, "You always smell like cherry blossoms. It's gotta be your perfume or something. It smells good." He laughed, making her heart melt. He recognized her perfume? That was a good thing, right?

She laughed a little too. "It's called Japanese Cherry Blossom."

"See! I totally got it right."

She rolled her eyes and punched him in the arm playfully. "So are we going to get some ice cream or what? We'd better get in line before it gets even crazier in here."

"Oh yeah. LET'S DO THIS!" He pulled his headphones down around his neck and jumped up. She followed him, and they both got in line. There were five people in front of them, and the two immediately in front were talking about ordering Slots.

"I wouldn't order that if I were you. Hayner ordered that a few weeks ago and he couldn't finish it all," the girl said to the boy beside her.

"Yeah, well Hayner is a wuss. That is a FACT. I will order it, and conquer anything Cid throws at me," the boy said, laughing loudly.

"You're gonna regret it...you're better off ordering something safe, like Princess Guard. It's yummy," she said, giggling.

"Princess Guard is a girly ice cream." He snorted, sticking his tongue at her.

She gave him a grim look. "Girls have better taste. That is FACT."

"Whatever." He shrugged.

"You're toast," she finished, sticking her tongue at him. Kairi watched the two, then she got an idea. It was a little bold for her, but she decided to play Sora's game.

"Hey, Sora." She leaned in close, and lowered her voice. "It's time you and I got serious."

He didn't move back away from her, but he stammered, "W..What do you mean, Kairi...? Serious about what?"

She knew she had to follow through. "You need to make a decision." She tried hard not to laugh, because he was now visibly nervous.

"I really don't know what you mean...!" He shook his head, whispering now. She leaned even closer, staring into his eyes. Her heart felt like it was going to burst, but he didn't know that.

"What kind of ice cream are we getting this time?" she asked, daring to wink at him.

He blinked, and seemingly snapped out of a trance. "Huh?"

They were now up to the counter, and Cid greeted them gruffly, "HEY, get yer act together Sora, you're holdin' up my line!"

Kairi just giggled, and for a second she could have sworn she saw a hint of pink on his cheeks. Maybe it was just the light, or maybe her charm actually worked on him.

"I..I'm sorry Cid. Um, we'll just have two sea salt ice creams, please." He pulled his black and red hoodie over his head.

"Seriously kid? Don't you ever order anything else? I've got gold here in these freezers, and you order the same thing every time," Cid said, exasperated.

Sora was on it. "HA! That's what YOU think. You don't remember? I've got one of these!" He whipped a small card out of his wallet. It had seven star shaped punches. It was the Rocket Ice punch card. You got one for every type you tried, and once you tried them all, you got then ultimate combo, if you could survive that, you got a special prize. No one had every finished all of them, so they had never seen the prize.

"So you see Cid, I clearly order different things on your menu," he said with his head high.

Cid snorted. "Hmph, you think you're a big man, huh? It's been a while. I almost forgot you had one of those things. Final Heaven is next on the card for you. Too sweet for you?" He guffawed, reaching across the counter to put Sora in a headlock.

"Ow ow ow! Okay Cid, I get it! I'll have Final Heaven, and then one sea salt ice cream for Kairi," he said between gasps, attempted to tap out on the counter. Kairi stood giggling at Sora. He was so adorable, even when he was getting choked out.

Cid released his grasp on Sora, still chuckling. "That's what I thought." He turned to Kairi now and spoke, "Your sea salt is on the house today. I figured I'd help ya out. Spiky haired guys aren't easy to deal with."

"Thanks Cid, you're the best!" She looked over at Sora, who was looking kind of pale. He couldn't handle too much sugar, so he was facing a real challenge. He had to finish the whole ice cream for it to count towards the Rocket Ice punch card challenge.

Sora paid for his ice cream and they both sat back down at Neptune when they got their orders. Sora's Final Heaven was served in a gigantic glass cup shaped like a rocket ship. He stared at it wearily.

"You're psyching yourself out, Sora. You'd better get started before it melts...if it melts it will be so much worse for you," she said, attempting to give him a sympathetic look. She licked her sea salt ice cream happily, thinking about how Sora made her heart melt, just like ice cream.

"Gee, thanks for the great advice. I never thought I would die before getting accepted into college..." He slowly took his first bite of his ice cream. He immediately made a face.

"Hee hee. Don't look so disgusted. It's ice cream. It's supposed to make you happy. And besides, you're fine when it comes to college. You're going to get a scholarship for being a kingdom player." She took a picture of him with Final Heaven beside him. "This is going on your Heartbook!"

She glanced around, and saw a little boy eating a child size Final Heaven. He looked ecstatic. "See Sora," she said pointing, "If that little kid can eat one of those, you can too. Time to man up!"

He gave her a sour look. "Oh yeah? Surely you've noticed that my Final Heaven is like three times the size of that one. PLUS, that kid's taste buds haven't even fully developed yet. He doesn't realize what he's actually eating. Bubblegum ice cream is HORRIFIC. Gimme a break, will ya?" As he made his way through the ice cream, he continued to make faces that openly showed his discomfort. Meanwhile, Kairi was thoroughly enjoying the last little bit of her sea salt ice cream. Her lips and mouth felt cool, and she could feel each bite travel down into her stomach. The salty sweet taste of the ice cream was her  
absolute favorite, and she was stoked that it was Sora's favorite too. She knew he was in agony, but that's what he got for mentioning the punch card.

"Ohmgod...I'm going to be sick." Sora didn't look so good. She grabbed his hand and held it in hers.

"You have to finish it. Think of all the people who are depending on you. You could be the first Rocket Ice hero! You've come too far to back out now. I BELIEVE in you." She burst into laughter. Sora shook his head slowly at her.

"I don't know if I can survive this one. You might have to carry on without me. But remember, I'll always be with you in spirit. Whenever you eat sea salt ice cream, think of me." He looked deep into her eyes, then slumped over onto the table.

"Sora, SORA! You can't leave me! The ice cream will melt! Noooo Sora!" She sat there a minute, pretending to sniffle, until she finally nudged him.

"Seriously though, Sora, you've gotta hurry and finish your ice cream. I can see Cid staring at us."

He sat up finally and sighed, meeting her gaze. Those blue eyes always gave her chills. "Okay, I'll do this for you."

Sora finished his last bite of blue ice cream. His tongue was bright blue, and his face was a ghastly pea soup green. He wiped his face with a napkin, and stomped over to the counter to declare his victory to Cid. Kairi just shook her head, and watched the two argue back and forth. It was true, Sora still had to finish Cerberus before confronting the final ice cream challenge.

She slipped into the bathroom to check her make up. So far so good, just had to reapply that sparkling lip gloss. She didn't usually worry so much, after all, make up was really more trouble that it was worth, but Sora made her nervous. She sprayed some body spray around herself, just to make extra sure she smelled good. She looked at herself in the mirror and took a deep breath.

"You know this is tough. You know that you gotta fight to get him before someone else does. You're...fine. You just need to relax and be yourself. You KNOW that you're good enough for him...ohhh man. I've never given myself a pep talk in a bathroom before. I am so lame."

A knock at the door caused her to jump. She quickly opened the door and found Sora standing on the other side, looking worried.

"You okay, partner? You disappeared all of sudden..." His face had returned to its normal color.

"Yeah, totally. I was just..." She trailed off. She stepped out of the bathroom, letting the door shut behind her. She needed to think fast. What could she have spent that time in the bathroom doing..? Make up...no. Girl problems? Definitely not.

"I probably don't want to know. Let's get outta here." He smiled and led her outside.

Kairi put her hands in the pocket of her shorts, and asked, "So what now? I don't know what else to do really..."

Sora just shrugged. "I really wanted to check out the new comic book store they put next to the arcade downtown, but my stomach hurts."

"So...that's a no go because little Sora has a tummy ache?" She couldn't help but smile.

"What? No, I'm good, but I could use some REAL food. Otherwise, I might not make it any further." He placed his index finger and thumb on his chin as if deep in thought.

"Okaaaay, and where would you like to go eat?"

"You pick," he answered quickly.

"What? You can't put that on me. You're the one who wants to grab food."

"You're not hungry? Not even a little? Didn't you work all day?" He had pulled his skateboard out of his bag, and was examining the wheels closely.

"Well, I am a bit, but-"

"Then you can totally pick a place to eat. It's all you." He whipped his phone out, and checked his messages. She watched him look over his message before snorting. "Ha. Roxie...you heartbreaker," he muttered, shaking his head.

"What was that?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Huh? Oh, nothing. Roxas has a bunch of groupies that follow him to the studio and he finally told them he would prefer if they didn't show up there anymore. I guess one of them starting crying or something, everyone freaked out and it was a mess. Crazy fan girls." He laughed.

"Roxas has that kind of effect on girls. Poor guy just doesn't know how to react to that kind of stuff. He's going to start a war, with a face like that. Not to mention he sings like JESSE MCCARTNEY...kills me just thinking about it..."

"You envy him?" she said, bemused.

"Not really. I'm GLAD I don't have girls coming after me all the time. Having a more attractive twin who happens to also be more talented takes all the pressure off of me."

"I wouldn't necessarily say that," Kairi said under her breath. He didn't catch it.

"Anyway, putting that aside...what are we eating today, boss?"

"Okay, since you insist on me picking the place, how about the ramen stand over by the high school?" she suggested, looking out towards the beach.

"Alright, it's a done deal. Let's move out!" He put his skate board back in his bag and started towards the school. She caught up with him, and was admiring the way he walked, but was finding it rather difficult not to match his pace. He walked so casually, as if he didn't have any worries in the world.

"You know, Riku is totally going to miss out tonight. Ramen is the best," Sora started. Of course, the thought of Riku struck a nerve for Kairi. He was her wingman, and now he suddenly decided to act weird. Today was not the day for it. She couldn't help but scowl. Sora had turned to look at her when he spoke, and looked thoughtful. He didn't ask what the face was for.

"You say that about all the food you eat, Sora," she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"That's simply because I truly enjoy food. But I really really love ramen in particular," he said in a soft voice, closing his eyes and turning his nose up.

Kairi knew that. How could she not know, after being friends for so many years? There wasn't a whole lot she didn't know about him. She had picked the ramen stand because she knew he would like it.

"But I mean it when I say that I despise _BUBBLEGUM _flavored ice cream," he continued, trying to put on an angry face, but failing. He just smiled and walked with his arms behind his head.

The ramen stand was nothing spectacular. It was really just what it sounded like. A small wooden stand with enough space to prepare ramen, owner made a red bean filled pastry shaped like a paupo fruit. It was delicious, and although it didn't take the traditional shape of a fish, it was adorable. Kairi was thinking of this as the school came into view. Up head they could see the faint glow of the ramen stand. Just her luck, it was empty. Alone time with Sora took a tremendous about of emotional energy. She was pretty sure she could feel sparks between them, and he just made her so nervous sometimes. She felt like a thirteen year old with raging hormones, and it was irritating.

"Just sit down here," Sora instructed as they reached the tables. Kairi sat down and watched him chatting with the owner of the stand. She wasn't so much listening to what he was saying, she was just admiring the way the gentle glow of the stand hit his face, lighting up his features in a romantic candle lit sort of way. She let out a soft sigh, then shivered. It was starting to get a little chilly, which was a rare occurence on the islands.

"Hey Kai, do you know what you want to order? Phil says that the special tonight is the vegetable and beef ramen. Would you like to try that?" Sora called, turning to look back at her.

"Um sure, that sounds good to me," she replied, rubbing her arms. She hated getting goose bumps.

"Cool, I'll get that too." His eyes lingered on her a moment longer than necessary, and she could feel her face flush. She found herself unwrapping chopsticks and rubbing them together to get rid of any potential splinters in the wood. Sora came back with hot tea, and he took is black hoodie off and handed it her.

"It's cold, isn't it? Just take my hoodie. I ordered a nine on the spicy scale so I expect to be crying and have a runny nose by the time I finish my ramen. I'll get entirely too hot to wear my hoodie. You can borrow it." He grinned at her. She shyly took the hoodie and put it on. Instantly she felt the warmth of his body heat, and felt giddy because she could smell Sora, and the smell was amazing. It was difficult to pin point what Sora smelled like, all she knew what that she loved the way he smelled. He smelled like the ocean, mixed with that comforting fresh laundry smell.

"Thanks," she said softly. She couldn't think of anything more to say.

"Don't worry about it!" he said brightly.

The short chubby man, Phil, brought their ramen to the table. He sent the bill on the table too, and then wobbled back over to his place inside the stand. Kairi noticed that the curious little man had put the bill closer to Sora, barely out of her reach across the table. Did he think they were dating?

"Wow.." she murmured, "It looks and smells so delicious."

"Phil is the man when it comes to ramen," Sora stated simply.

"Hey Sora..." she said, glancing up at him.

"What's up?" he asked, tilting his head to the side, in that cute way that he always did.

"I'm afraid we won't get accepted to the same school." She didn't know why she was killing the mood by bringing it up suddenly, but it was eating away at her.

"I don't know why you and Riku are so worried. Like I said before, we're always going to be together." His tone was reassuring, but his eyes were cloudy, his expression unreadable.

She bit her lip. "I don't want to think what would happen if we got separated...and then could only see each other during holidays..."

He leaned in, and whispered, "Then don't think about it."

She couldn't breathe. He was so close, and his eyes sparkled as he looked into hers. What was he seeing, looking at her like that? He was so calm, it was unnerving. For that moment, she felt as if the two of them were frozen in time. In his eyes she could see memories of the time they'd spent together. She just wished she could see the two of them together in the future. He was so happy and energetic, but somehow so mysterious. She could see herself being with him forever. She suddenly snapped back to reality when he spoke. She'd made a habit of getting lost in his eyes. How romantic and pathetic at the same time. She was mentally kicking herself.

"You okay? You're looking a bit pale..." Sora just smiled and leaned back. Phil was back and he sent down a plate of taiyaki in front of them.

"I'm fine, but what is this?" she asked glancing curiously up at Phil.

"On the house," he replied in a deep voice, returning to his stand. An older couple had walked up, and was now being offered the special of the day.

"This is great! I love these things! I was going to ask if you wanted to share one," he sighed happily, and cut it neatly into two halves. "Phil is THE best."

"Thanks, Sora." She started on her half, savoring the contrast between the slightly salty crust of the pastry to the sweet, moist inside. She knew it was stupid, but she couldn't help but smile because the taiyaki was shaped like a paopu. If two people shared the fruit, their destinies would be intertwined and they would always be a part of each other's lives. Of course she knew that he wasn't really sharing a paopu with her, but this was honestly close enough for now. The mood was more cheerful after that, and somehow their conversation drifted to the latest pro-kingdom game. To her surprise, Sora refused to let  
her pay for her dinner, and then he even offered to walk her home. The day with him had been flawless, apart from her own immaturity. She just wished she had insight on his feelings.

When she was alone in her room, her headphones were in full effect. She was dancing to her Sora playlist and texting to fill Selphie in on her glorious day with him. No, she really didn't know if she had a chance with him, she didn't know what the future had in store for them, and she especially didn't know what Riku was trying to do. She flopped down on her bed, and smelled the sleeves of Sora's hoodie that she couldn't bring herself to take off. His scent made her feel at peace and serene. She fell asleep in her clothes, and let sleep wash away her worries.


	4. Acceptance?

A/N: Hey everyone! First off, I'd really like to thank everyone for leaving reviews. I'm new to writing fan fiction and I really appreciate your support. Also, I've got much more planned for this story so continue to read and review! Thanks! ~Cherry Pan

It was a blistering hot day on the islands. Hot wind swept through the air, cornering you wherever you went until you found yourself pushed up against the ocean shore, the sparkling waves beckoning you to dive right into them.. The Destiny Islands were great because they didn't have seasons...and also difficult because they didn't have seasons. It was warm, hot, uncomfortable, and unbearable all year long. Today fell into the uncomfortable category. On those rare days it was overcast, but mostly the skies were always blue. People were either at the beach, or hiding from the sun in their air conditioned homes. Kairi was among those who had opted out of suffering through outdoor activities. It could get expensive to run the air conditioning frequently, but it was a sacrifice most were willing to make. Kairi envied Riku sometimes; his family had invested in large solar panels that had quickly extinguished their electricity bills. She shuddered to think what her favorite ice cream place looked like days like this. Rocket Ice most likely had lines going out the door, not to mention that the whole solar system was probably jam packed with rowdy adolescents accompanied by their frustrated parents. On top of it all, Cid was probably on the verge of blowing a gasket. He wasn't the most patient man in the world. She felt bad for Shera, but she mostly had other things on her mind today. Sora was coming over today.

There she was, in her moogle apron, getting ready for what was bound to be an exciting afternoon. She was nervous, anxious, and a little worried. Things had gone well after her day with Sora and it had been a few days since then. She had gotten a letter from Destiny Islands University, and so had Sora. Riku also had his, so the two of them were coming over to her house so they could open them together. She hadn't seen Riku since he had given her flowers, but she had tried to text him to find out why he was suddenly pretending to like her. At least, that's what she guessed he was doing. He wouldn't give her an answer, and she had expected as much. It was bothersome, but she couldn't think of that now. She was carefully cutting a watermelon into neat slices, and arranging them as skillfully as possible on a serving tray. She made her famous sparkling blackberry ginger lemonade, and had peach scones cooling on the stove. When she had mentioned that the boys were coming over, her grandmother had offered to make the scones for them, and for that Kairi was grateful. She didn't have the boys over often, but when she did, she transformed herself into the perfect hostess. She had to impress Sora, even if it meant she had to endure her grandmother's relentless teasing. Meanwhile, her letter from DIU was practically burning a hole in her desk drawer. Since it had arrived, she could feel it there, inside the desk drawer on the left side, pulling her towards it like a magnet. She was dying to know if she had gotten accepted. She checked the time, and she could feel her heart pounding. The boys would be there soon, and she had to finish setting her dining room table.

"Kairi dearest, I'm heading out to do some shopping. I'll be back shortly. Do you need anything else for you friends?" her grandmother called from the living room.

She poked her head out of her kitchen and replied as she saw her grandmother slipping her shoes on at the front door. "No, I think I have everything I need. Thanks for helping me with our snacks! You're the best!"

"Good luck with Sora." Her grandmother winked. She grabbed her paper umbrella and strode out the door, leaving Kairi behind shaking her head.

"What's in the box, Riku?" Sora asked, eyeing the small gift wrapped box the silver haired boy held in his arm as they headed over to Kairi's.

Riku shrugged. "It's just a little something for Kairi."

"Why?" Sora raised an eyebrow, his mouth slowly turning into a frown.

Riku wiped sweat off his brown and sighed. "She's always making nice goodies for us to eat when we come over, so I thought I'd bring her something in appreciation of her efforts."

"What did you get her?" He looked at his friend darkly.

"Why do you want to know so badly?" Riku just laughed, shaking his silky silver bangs out of his face, revealing his aquamarine eyes.

"No reason. Just curious." Sora's voice was strained, and he looked as if he was having some sort of internal struggle.

"Sure you are." They continued the rest of the way to their friend's house in silence.

"Hi guys." Kairi met them at the door, still wearing her moogle shaped apron. Underneath she was wearing mint chip colored jeans, with a black t-shirt that featured white lightning bolts all over it.

Sora smiled immediately upon seeing her, and said,"Hey, are you excited to find out if we all got in?" He did their usual handshake with her: their palms meeting as they pulled their hands away transitioning into a small fist bump. Riku stepped forward and gracefully pulled Kairi into a hug. Sora was standing behind him, and Kairi felt the intensity of his gaze over Riku's shoulder. His azure eyes stared at her, unblinking, then he quickly looked away. She pulled away from Riku, and her eyes narrowed as she saw the present in hand.

"Come in, guys, we're letting the cold air out of the house." She motioned for them to head inside, and pulled the door shut behind them.

"Wow, it smells wonderful in here!" Riku exclaimed. He set the gift box down on her coffee table, and added with a whisper, "This is from me, open it when you are alone, okay?"

She stiffened, then glanced nervously at Sora. What was Riku thinking?! Sora's expression was blank; she couldn't find any trace of emotion on it. She instructed them to have a seat at her table, and help themselves to the fruit and scones. They set their envelopes on the table, then proceeded to eat. Kairi excused herself to quickly grab her envelope. She couldn't help but notice Sora was unusually quiet.

"How are the snacks?" she asked, plopping down in a chair. She could feel tension between them, and wasn't quite sure what was causing it. It could be the present, and the hug, but she couldn't jump to conclusions so quickly.

"Great, as usual Kai. My mom would love this lemonade you made. You should come over and make it with us sometime," Riku said casually, spreading honey on his scone.

Her mouth twitched. "Okay."

"Everything you make is the best," Sora said quietly.

"What was that, Sora?" she said, turning to him.

"Nothing. The snacks are good." He stirred his lemonade, and he threw her a gentle smile, making her blush.

"Let's get down to business. I'm sick of pulling my hair out worrying about what our letters say," she said in a commanding tone.

"Yeah, I can kinda see bald-spots from here," Riku joked, pointing at her hair which was pulled back into a pony-tail.

She glared at him. "Oh shut up."

They all held their envelopes firmly in their hands. Kairi inhaled and ripped hers open. Her eyes skimmed the letter and she put it face down in front of her. The other two did the same.

"Well?" She said, wearing her poker face.

"Who wants to go first?" Riku said, his expression grim.

Sora spoke up, grinning from ear to ear. "Accepted...full scholarship."

They cheered. Sora looked to them expectantly.

"Accepted," Riku stated triumphantly.

Now they looked to her.

"I just...I thought my application...this isn't what I expected." Her voice was deadpan, and they looked at her with a mixture of horror and confusion.

"Kairi, we can figure something out-" Riku started gently, but was interrupted by Sora who was pissed.

"That's ridiculous! They're stupid, there's no reason you shouldn't get accepted!"

She wondered how far she should take the joke. She was in drama, so this could indeed get interesting. On the other hand, she didn't want to make them feel too bad.

"Yeah, I really..I..I'm just kidding!" She jumped up and showed them her acceptance letter. Riku just sighed, and Sora put his hand over his face. She burst out into a fit of laughter.

"Way to give us a heart attack Kairi," Sora said, crossing his arms. She just rolled her eyes at him.

"So then, should we start celebrating?" she said innocently.

They raised their lemonades and toasted to college life together.

"So what now?" Kairi stabbed her watermelon with her fork, and took a big bite. Sora spread honey over his scone, and took a bite.

"Is there lavender in this?" he asked curiously, while chewing.

"Yeah. My grandmother orders it online from a lavender farm in Radiant Garden." she said, pleased that he noticed the difference.

"Fancy…" he murmured softly.

"We could celebrate by going to see a movie," Riku offered.

Sora and Riku in a dark room with her? No way. That was just asking for an awkward time. "Um, I don't really feel like seeing a movie," she mumbled.

"Sora, any ideas?" Riku turned to him.

"Not really."

"Why are you acting weird Sora?" Riku was smiling wide.

"I'm not," Sora replied flatly.

"I don't know, you're being kind of short with us... you mad bro?" Uh oh. This was getting weird. She kept silent. Sora looked at her cautiously.

"No, I am really happy. I'm glad we're all going to stay here and go to college together," he said through gritted teeth.

"Let's go to the beach," she suggested, trying to smile at both of them.

"Let's not," they both said in unison.

"Okaaaay..." She was getting uncomfortable now. What on earth was going on here? Sora took a deep breath, and let it out slowly.

"I'm up for whatever you guys would like to do," he said not looking at Riku.

"Hmm…shall we pick then?" Riku's voice was soft, like velvet.

She took another bite of her watermelon and chewed thoughtfully. What could they do that wouldn't be weird? The thought alone was absurd. They've been friends for years. Was it that Sora was jealous? If Sora somehow did like her, then why didn't he just say so? Then again, she was too chicken to admit her feelings for him. They were both just stupid if that was the case. And what of Riku? He was just a saboteur, and she was his target. If she could just solve the puzzle involving Riku and Sora, she'd be set to start college with no worries about her social life. She just needed to put the pieces together and figure out where she fit in.

"I really don't know. I want to say we should just stay inside, because it's too hot out. I don't know what we could do here either." A random idea popped into her head then, and she blurted it out before she could stop herself. "Let's do a Disney sing-a-long!"

"Dear god." The look on Riku's face was pure horror.

"You serious?" Sora didn't look like he was opposed to the idea. If anything he looked amused.

"Yeah, I've wanted to watch Aladdin for a while. I just thought of it…I mean, Selphie and I watched The Lion King recently so…"

"How old are you again?" Riku said incredulously.

"Hey, you're never too old for Disney movies. Hater." She turned her nose up at him.

Sora looked thoughtful. "It could be fun, I guess. I like Disney movies a lot actually. One of my favorites is Sword in the Stone. I used to watch that one all the time. I used to watch the Nightmare Before Christmas too. Of course, I'm a huge fan of Tim Burton ANYTHING…"

"Whoa there, you don't have to tell us your life story." Riku smirked, and received a death glare from Sora.

"Will you two cut it out? Do you want to watch a Disney movie or not?" Kairi demanded, as she started clearing the table.

"Well, I guess it's better than trying to play Super Smash Brothers with Sora. He always wins with Pit, and I'm over it," Riku said shaking his head.

"Pit is awesome, and the best flier in game," Sora said with a grin.

"You just like him because he looks like you." Riku chuckled, retreating into the living room as Sora gave him a warning stare.

"I like Pit a lot too, Sora," Kairi said kindly. She thought it was fun playing as Pit, but she usually played as Kirby because he was the next best flier, and oh so cute.

"Yeah he's the bomb. Let me help you with cleaning up." He jumped up from the table and turned the sink on to start on the dishes Kairi had set down on the counter.

"You don't have to help me with this." She felt her face heat up as he smiled and squeezed soap onto the sponge.

"No problem! See?" He held the sponge up so she could see it. He'd drawn a smiley face with the soap.

"You are ridiculous," She said, wiping down the table.

"So I hear. Riku, you alive over there?" Sora glanced over to living room.

"I am preparing our sing-a-long. You two clowns better hurry up," Riku called back.

They finished cleaning up, then headed over to the living room, where Riku was on his phone furiously texting someone on the couch. The Aladdin menu was up on her t.v, ready for them to get started. Riku was sitting directly in the middle of the couch, so she had to figure out where to sit. She knew Riku had probably done that on purpose, just to be difficult.

"Scoot over Riku, so we can sit down." she said, trying to be nonchalant.

He didn't look up from his phone, but a smile crept over his face. "There's room on either side of me, you two have plenty of room." His voice was like an ice cream sundae with sprinkles on top. It was too sweet. He was seriously messing with her now.

"Oh come on, I like sitting in the middle!" she whined, putting on her pouty face.

"Sorry princess, I got here first." He looked up at her and winked.

"This is MY house!" she said dramatically, pretending to stomp her foot in anger.

"Precisely, and I'm your guest. It's only polite to let me sit where I please." He flipped his hair, and sighed.

"Geez, Riku, you're practically family. Give her a break and move over." Sora said putting is arms around his head.

"Not a chance. And if I'm like family, then you are too." He smirked, and Sora just rolled his eyes. Kairi wasn't sure on what to do now. Calling out Riku would give her away.

"Okay fine, let's just sit down Sora. I don't mind giving up my spot this time," she said, defeated.

"You sure? I can beat him up for you." He jokingly put up his arms and punched the air a couple times.

"In your dreams, Sora," Riku said as they sat down. Sora just frowned and looked away.

"Now that we're ready, you guys better sing a long with me," Kairi said, pushing the start button on her remote.

"I can't make any promises, I don't know all the words. I can definitely sing "Whole New World' with you though," Riku said slyly.

"You forget there's lyrics on the screen, idiot. And I know that one too." Sora said defensively. They were definitely fighting for her, it seemed. It was a bit awkard, but if this meant at all that Sora liked her then maybe she could make a move. Then again...she was kind of a chicken.

"Shhh! It's starting!" she said, as the intro song played. She took a deep breath, and started to sing. Her heart pounded like drum, creating an extra beat in her head. This love thing wasn't easy...


End file.
